Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
American AI data centres may use as much energy as new US solar farms produce
22 May 2024
Generative AI uses a lot of energy, though figuring out how much is hard. There’s no point in asking ChatGPT. It won’t say.
Oil companies use paid news media partnerships to protect ‘social licence to operate,’ documents show
22 May 2024
BP sees sponsored content as a crucial tool to reach “Washington, DC, elites,” according to subpoenaed memos.
Tackling climate change in one of Colombia’s largest wetlands
22 May 2024
La Mojana, a complex network of more than 500,000 hectares of different types of wetlands, has drastically deteriorated in recent decades.
Wind turbines pay back life cycle carbon emissions in less than two years, NZ study finds
21 May 2024
Wind turbines in New Zealand pay back their lifecycle carbon emissions after just 1.5 years of operation, researchers from Victoria University in Wellington have found.
Biden ending new leases in America's top coal region
21 May 2024
The Biden administration is moving to end all new coal leasing in the country's largest producing coal region, the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana.
How China’s energy system can reach carbon neutrality before 2055
21 May 2024
China’s thinking around the energy transition shifted drastically in 2020 after president Xi Jinping pledged to reach carbon neutrality before 2060.
IEA trims 2024 oil demand growth forecast, widens gap with OPEC
21 May 2024
The International Energy Agency (IEA) trimmed its forecast for 2024 oil demand growth, widening the gap with producer group OPEC in terms of expectations for this year's global demand outlook.
Not too wet to burn
21 May 2024
Amid an uptick in wildfires, scientists search for lessons on how to save old-growth rainforests from a fiery future.
Beavers are back in London — and they’re thriving
21 May 2024
Usually known for their work in more rural places, nature’s best engineers have brought their ecosystem management skills to the big city.
What a new global pledge means for climate, nature and gender goals
20 May 2024
World leaders gathered in Paris this week to pledge to make 2024 the “pivotal year” for improving access to clean cooking.
‘Magical thinking’: hopes for sustainable jet fuel not realistic, report finds
20 May 2024
A new report says replacement fuels are well off track to replace kerosene within the timeframe needed to avert climate disaster.
The dangers of secret solar geoengineering
20 May 2024
A lack of transparency in solar geoengineering projects may tank public perception for an already maligned climate change strategy.
The five most common questions from carbon buyers
20 May 2024
Here are the top questions on the minds of corporate carbon credit purchasers — and some answers.
Climate change made the deadly heatwaves across Asia more frequent and extreme
20 May 2024
Throughout April and continuing into May 2024, extreme record-breaking heat led to severe impacts across the Asian continent, hitting millions of highly vulnerable people.
Inside a California oil town’s divisive plan to survive the energy transition
20 May 2024
Kern County is betting on carbon capture to replace oil jobs and tax revenue. But will the county’s new economy repeat the sins of the old one?
‘Unprecedented’: CO2 in the atmosphere is rising 10 times faster than at any point over 50,000 years
17 May 2024
Ice built up in the Antarctic over hundreds of thousands of years is helping scientists to understand today's climate.
Days after climate talks, US slaps tariffs on Chinese EVs and solar panels
17 May 2024
The measures are designed to increase the cost of Chinese goods needed for the energy transition – and could therefore slow the US shift away from fossil fuels.
Rocks beneath our feet could be the key to carbon-neutral cement
17 May 2024
Engineers show how simple processing turns olivine, the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s mantle, into a greener formula for cement and other building materials.
India projects biggest power shortfall in 14 years in June
17 May 2024
India is projecting its biggest power shortfall in 14 years in June after a slump in hydropower generation, and is racing to avoid outages.
Herd of bison could help store CO2 equivalent of 43,000 cars, researchers say
17 May 2024
Free-roaming animals reintroduced in Romania’s Țarcu mountains are stimulating plant growth and securing carbon stored in the soil while grazing.
This Utah county is buying lawns to save water
17 May 2024
Would you ditch your grass for less-thirsty plants? In a place where every drop of water counts, a little cash compels residents to say yes.
Why we need rapid deployment of carbon capture technologies
16 May 2024
Amid the accelerating climate crisis, the urgency to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 has become a global imperative, with some required technologies still in need of rapid development.
Scientists achieve over 1000 degrees Celsius with solar power alone rather than fossil fuels
16 May 2024
When you hear about solar energy, you immediately think of blue panels and clean electricity.
EU countries approve law to slash CO2 emissions from trucks
16 May 2024
EU countries gave their final approval to a law to cut carbon dioxide emissions from trucks, which will require most new heavy-duty vehicles sold from 2040 to be emissions-free.
‘Climate change is here and it kills’: Heat-related deaths rise by 30% in Europe
16 May 2024
Researchers tracking the link between climate change and health say the adverse impacts are far-reaching.
How much is a planet worth?
16 May 2024
OPINION: Donald Trump recently told fossil fuel execs that a clean billion would get them literally anything they want in his next administration. That they would use that power to once-and-for-all overheat the earth is a given.
Children pulled from mud as hundreds die in severe flooding in Afghanistan
16 May 2024
Three bewildered children sit on the roof of a mosque in Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, their eyes blinking away mud that covers their entire bodies.
Banks have given almost $7tn to fossil fuel firms since Paris deal
15 May 2024
Among world’s top 60 banks those in US are biggest fossil fuel financiers, while Barclays leads way in Europe.
Attacks on environmental journalists growing worldwide, UN report finds
15 May 2024
“Without reliable scientific information about the ongoing environmental crisis, we can never hope to overcome it,” said Audrey Azoulay, head of UNESCO.
Moment of truth for gas
15 May 2024
On LNG there are two paths before us and decisions made in the next 6 months will determine what the world looks like in 50 years.
South Asia pre-monsoon heatwave breaking records due to climate change
15 May 2024
South and Southeast Asia are experiencing another record heatwave, with forecasts anticipating that the heatwave will continue in certain parts of the region before rain or cool winds bring a respite.
How carbon markets can deliver to the front lines of the climate crisis
15 May 2024
Nations across the Global South are facing a searing dilemma, and the choices they make will impact us all.
More desalination is coming to Australia’s driest states – but super-salty outflows could trash ecosystems and fisheries
15 May 2024
From around 1996 to 2010, Australia was gripped by the millennium drought and as water shortages bit hard, most capital cities built large seawater desalination plants.
Australia’s PM faces internal revolt from inner-city Labor MPs over gas strategy
14 May 2024
Resources minister Madeleine King released party’s future gas strategy, which says new sources will be needed ‘to 2050 and beyond’.
Thousands evacuate as wildfire grows ‘dramatically’ in western Canada
14 May 2024
Thousands of people in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia (BC) have been evacuated from their homes as authorities warn that a enormous wildfire continues to grow.
Biden to set 100% tariff on electric cars made in China
14 May 2024
It’s not official yet, but the Wall Street Journal says the Biden administration is expected to increase the import tariffs on electric cars made in China from 25% to 100%, a move that may embolden regulators in the European Union to do likewise.
Von der Leyen slammed for ‘huge’ climate mistakes
14 May 2024
Teresa Ribera, a front-runner to become the EU’s next Green Deal commissioner, lashed out at her potential future boss in an interview.
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory just captured ominous signals about the planet’s health
14 May 2024
Atmospheric levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide aren’t just on their way to yet another record high this year — they’re rising faster than ever, according to the latest in a 66-year-long series of observations.
'Getting smashed': World's avocado growing regions could shrink by 40 per cent by 2050
14 May 2024
A new report claims avocados are being "smashed" by the climate crisis, with areas deemed suitable for growing the superfood expected to contract by between 14 and 41 per cent by 2050.
I understand climate scientists’ despair – but stubborn optimism may be our only hope
13 May 2024
Opinion: Fighting spirit helped us achieve the Paris accords in 2015 – and we need it now the world is on course to overshoot 1.5C.
Wind and solar are ‘fastest-growing electricity sources in history’
13 May 2024
Wind and solar are growing faster than any other sources of electricity in history, according to new analysis from thinktank Ember.
Vermont could become first US state to make biggest emitters pay for climate-related damages
13 May 2024
Vermont’s House of Representatives has passed S.259, a state bill aimed at collecting recovery costs for climate-related damages from the biggest emitters, such as fossil fuel companies.
Despite drought, Amazon deforestation alerts hit five-year low
13 May 2024
The Brazilian Amazon experienced a 47% decrease in deforestation in April compared to last year, marking the lowest level in five years, and a 51% decrease over the past 12 months.
BP and Shell ‘shaped’ UK carbon tax proposals, private emails show
13 May 2024
Internal documents expose how oil and gas majors were given the chance to influence a report by the Policy Exchange think tank.
World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target
10 May 2024
Planet is headed for at least 2.5C of heating with disastrous results for humanity, poll of hundreds of scientists finds.
Australia backs gas beyond 2050 despite climate fears
10 May 2024
Australia has announced it will ramp up its extraction and use of gas until "2050 and beyond", despite global calls to phase out fossil fuels.
What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign
10 May 2024
Donald Trump has pledged to scrap President Biden’s policies on electric vehicles and wind energy, as well as other initiatives opposed by the fossil fuel industry.
Corporate climate watchdog document deems carbon offsets largely ineffective
10 May 2024
Staff at an influential corporate climate action group whose board announced a plan to allow companies to offset greenhouse gas emissions from their supply chain with carbon credits has now found such offsets are largely ineffective.
Europeans want governments to focus more on curbing migration than climate change
10 May 2024
Europeans focus more on curbing immigration than on climate change and less than 15% of those interviewed across the globe consider climate issues to be among the top three priorities for their government.
Inside the climate protests hell-bent on stopping Tesla
10 May 2024
Tesla’s gigafactory in Germany will temporarily pause production as a group of protesters encamped in the surrounding forest have ramped up their efforts to stop the company’s expansion.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
Fri 12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt overhaul leaves the door open for coal mining on conservation land
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s sweeping reclassification of thousands of hectares of publicly-owned conservation land has met with sharp criticism, with environmental groups saying the decision leaves vulnerable ecosystems exposed to mining and development.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Second fire tears through Tongariro National Park
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fire crews have returned to Tongariro National Park this morning as a fast-moving fire that started yesterday threatens unburnt vegetation and nearby communities, just a month after a major blaze scorched 3000 hectares in the same area.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Minister not concerned about potential economic impacts of ruling out offshore mitigation
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts isn’t worried that ruling out using offshore mitigation is effectively reneging from the Paris Agreement with potential to damage New Zealand’s economy and access to export markets.
Is Govt rushing through changes to climate framework to avoid litigation?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says the Government’s motivation for proposed changes to the country’s climate framework law are unclear: “The only reason I can think of is one grounded in potential litigation risk.”
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
Media round-up
Fri 12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Australia has new laws to protect nature. Do they signal an end to native forest logging?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Reforms to Australia’s nature laws have passed federal parliament. A longstanding exemption that meant federal environment laws did not apply to native logging has finally been removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
Ticking time-bomb in Govt’s failure of leadership on climate – Carr
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The coalition Government’s failure to slash emissions is like pulling the pin on a grenade, handing it to a kid, and saying “hold on tight, she’ll be right”, says former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Shell facing first UK legal claim over climate impacts of fossil fuels
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Victims of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines have filed a legal claim against oil and gas company Shell in the UK courts, seeking compensation for what they say is the company's role in making the storm more severe.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
High risk of economic losses from Cook Islands nodule extraction and sales – new study
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Media release: Greenpeace | The economic potential of seabed polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands has been overstated, according to a new independent study commissioned by Greenpeace International.
Govt rushes to pass climate law changes under urgency
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legislation to amend the Climate Change Response Act was introduced to Parliament on Monday, and the government intends to rush the changes through under urgency in the next two weeks, avoiding the usual public consultation.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean influence weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand and the globe.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
Neighbours fume over plans to axe trees for solar farm
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Whakatāne District Council has thrown its support behind residents of a country lane distressed about Genesis Energy’s plans to axe their trees.
NZ and US studying "huge unknown" in Antarctic climate science
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Scientists are measuring a huge unknown in climate science: how much heat Antarctica emits into space.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
More than $2m up for grabs for low-emissions farming innovation
Wed 10 Dec 2025
The Ag Emissions Centre and AgriZeroNZ yesterday opened their 2026 innovation investment round.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
Seven EU countries pressure European Commission to rethink 2035 diesel and petrol car ban
Tue 9 Dec 2025
Pressure from EU countries, lawmakers and the automotive industry is likely pushing the European Commission to delay the revision of the bloc's ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2035.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Australian market operator slashes wind farm predictions amid falling costs for solar and batteries
Thu 11 Dec 2025
The body that runs Australia's biggest power market has scaled back its plans for high-voltage power lines and wind farms to meet the country's green energy targets.
